堕胎 (duò tāi) — to have an abortion, to induce an abortion

Definition

堕胎 is a verb-object compound (离合词) meaning 'to have an abortion'. The two syllables can split: the verb 堕 takes aspect markers (了, 过) or complements, and the object 胎 can be modified by a numeral or measure word (堕了一次胎, 堕过两次胎). You never put a direct object after 堕胎 — it's self-contained, referring to the procedure itself. The term is used in medical, legal, and everyday contexts.

v.o.

to have an abortionto induce an abortion

Examples

堕胎。
Tā juédìng duò tāi.
She decided to have an abortion.
。
Tā yǐjīng duò guò liǎng cì tāi le.
She has already had two abortions.
。
Tā qùnián duò le yí cì tāi.
She had an abortion last year.

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